The Emerald Prince

Chapter 81: Home again, home again

The buses took classes 1A and 1B back the next day, and when Todoroki got back home he found Izuku cooking Aizawa breakfast. He'd half expected to find Hawk's dead body, but sadly it wasn't to be.

Aizawa was eating hurriedly, he was due to speak at the press conference in a couple hours and that would be followed by a long meeting held by Nezu to debate the school's next course of action.
Thanks to Izuku's quick thinking, the damage on paper was minimal, enabling Nezu to 'adjust' the story substantially for the conference. However that didn't stop the journalists and publics' wrath or change the fact that the school needed new safety measures.

Todoroki could see there was a tension between the father and son, and was certain Hawks was the cause. He'd been upset when Bakugou had told them about it, as had Shinsou, but they'd all agreed not to ask about it, Izuku would explain why the undeserving, stupid, no good, conniving- hero flew to his aid at one in the morning and carried him off, when he was ready.

He dumped his stuff upstairs, then came down to rejoin the pair in a fresh change of clothes.
Aizawa headed off not long after that, and the two teens made their way into the living room to rest.

Izuku lay on the sofa in one of Todoroki's hoodies - which the bicoloured teen had been surprisingly willing to lend him... - and shorts, buried himself in blankets and listened to music. He was worried since Tomura hadn't messaged him since the attack, but he didn't want to think about that much right now and there was something really comforting about the hoodie's, Todoroki's smell.

Todoroki took the armchair, putting on a stupid documentary about Bigfoot. They rested in comfortable silence for most of the morning, until the third and loudest rumble of Todoroki's stomach moved Izuku to action at about 2 pm.

He made cold Soba, and they ate it together in a pillow fort Todoroki constructed while he was gone, watching the press conference together with the cats.

"They are really angry over this aren't they." Said Todoroki between mouthfuls. Izuku did the best Soba.
"We'd have been screwed if Dabi hadn't sat it out, huh Shoto?" Chuckled Izuku, trying to appear okay.

Todoroki didn't reply for a while, so Izuku turned away from the screen to look at his companion.
The bicoloured male had his eyes furrowed. "Why don't I have a nickname?"

Izuku never quite knew what to expect from Todoroki at the best of times, but the question still completely stumped him.
"Sorry?"
"Shinsou is called Toshi, Bakugou is called Kaachan... why am I just Shoto?"
"You want a nickname?" Said the greenette still surprised.
Todoroki nodded very seriously.

Izuku hesitated, leaning back on the pillows. "Uh...Sho? I know it's not creative, but that's Kacchan's specialty."
The bicoloured teen nodded, still serious, almost solemn to the point Izuku had to fight the urge to laugh. "Can I call you Zuku?"
"I'd like that, Sho." Said Izuku, smiling more at how awkward this conversation was than at the new nickname.
He was rescued from the unfamiliar and rising tension by a knock on the door. He bounced to his feet to go to the hallway slightly too enthusiastically.

When Izuku opened the door, it was not to an exhausted Aizawa, but to Dabi...and a young kid who could only be Mustard.
"Come in?" He said, almost uncertain.

"Thanks." Said Mustard awkwardly, entering first; Dabi following with a glance behind him.
Izuku spoke quietly as he brought them into the kitchen and put on the kettle, "though I'm glad to see you both, don't be offended if I ask how you found us?"
Dabi chuckled, "my little brother, lovely as he is, is not as smart as you, and didn't turn off GPS, after giving me his number."